Chances are, you've heard of Wikipedia, the online source of information about nearly any topic you can imagine. You've probably also heard--or even told your students--don't depend on Wikipedia if you are looking for definite facts. Why? Wikipedia is likely the largest, most well-known wiki in existence. It deems itself the "free encyclopedia." And that it is. What is different about Wikipedia, and any wiki for that matter, is the nature of how a wiki comes to be and lives.
According to Wikipedia, "a wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinkedweb pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor." Wikis are websites. Wikis are simple to create and easy to edit. Wikis allow people with a common interest or goal to work together on a common product. Wikis can have content controlled through editorial processes or they may allow any content to be posted to the wiki. A wiki, however, is not the typical viewable web page. Users can update, modify and create new information to be part of the wiki. Once you have requested permission to be part of a wiki, you are able to become a contributor to that wiki.
In this age of information, a wiki can be a marvelous tool.
According to Wikipedia, "a wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor." Wikis are websites. Wikis are simple to create and easy to edit. Wikis allow people with a common interest or goal to work together on a common product. Wikis can have content controlled through editorial processes or they may allow any content to be posted to the wiki. A wiki, however, is not the typical viewable web page. Users can update, modify and create new information to be part of the wiki. Once you have requested permission to be part of a wiki, you are able to become a contributor to that wiki.
In this age of information, a wiki can be a marvelous tool.